The Rose Creek Watershed offers many public recreational opportunities:
Upper Watershed
Informational kiosk in Marian Bear Memorial Park.
Photo by Walter Shaw, Marian Bear Natural Park Recreation Council
Rose Canyon Open Space Park contains many interacting habitats unique to Southern California. This park is located in the University City neighborhood of San Diego. It is approximately 4 miles long and very narrow, averaging less than ¼ mile wide. It contains riparian, oak woodland and field habitats and is home to a great variety of plants and animals. No motorized vehicles are allowed but mountain bicycles are permitted on the dirt roads.
Click here to view access points
Rose Canyon Open Space Park Trail Map
Friends of Rose Canyon for further information.
Giant sycamore trees offer a beautiful setting for recreation in Marian Bear Memorial Park.
Marian Bear Memorial Park is located in San Clemente Canyon stretching from I-5 to I-805. The park provides a natural setting in the midst of a bustling urban area. The 467 acres of dedicated natural parkland include finger canyons and mesas on the southern side. The public can enjoy over three miles of mostly flat trails along the length of the canyon. More challenging hiking is available on the trails in several of the fingers canyons leading up to the mesa tops in Clairemont. Bicycling is permitted on the maintenance roads in the canyon.
Click here to view access points
Marian Bear Memorial Park Trail Map
Lower Watershed
The Rose Creek Bike Path
Kendall-Frost Marsh provides many opportunities for bird-watching. “Fishing Class 101 for Great Blue Herons” by Roy Little.
Lower Rose Creek south of the SR-52/I-5 interchange is partially accessible by a bicycle path that generally follows Rose Creek with the exception of a 0.6 mile section in eastern Pacific Beach where the path follows Santa Fe Street.
Mission Bay Park is at the base of the watershed and provides many opportunities for aquatic recreation such as boating and kayaking. The 16-acre Kendall Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve is the last remaining salt marsh on Mission Bay and provides a site of ecological study for students and birdwatchers. Interpretive signage and wildlife viewing platforms are available along the inland edges of the marsh. Click here to view an interactive map tour of the Mission Bay Marshes.